Clinic: Doctors have stopped abortion work

Kansas’ resident late-term abortion specialist, George Tiller, has lost the services of two of the physicians who provided the “second opinion” that the late-term abortions Tiller provides are necessary.

Only hours later, officials with the Wichita Clinic, where Odenheimer works, confirmed in a news statement that Odenheimer and another physician agreed to no longer provide the second opinion for Tiller’s late-term abortion patients “starting immediately.”

Under Kansas law, a physician who is not affiliated with Tiller or his abortion clinic or linked in any way financially must verify that a late-term abortion is needed in order for the procedure to proceed. Tiller has been investigated for violating the state’s late-term abortion laws, and as WND reported escaped indictment by a grand jury because members said they could not indict under the definitions of the law imposed by the state.

“Unless, and until the State Legislature is willing to amend the present statutes and provide clearer and more definitive guidelines regarding ‘substantial and irreversible impairment,’ or impose new or additional statutory limitations on the ability of a woman to obtain abortion of a viable fetus, we doubt that any investigation into the practices and
procedures of Dr. Tiller and the women’s Health Care Services will yield an outcome that will provide an basis for indictment,” the grand jury said.

Tiller, who runs a politically influential PAC in Kansas, still faces charges filed by former Attorney General Paul Morrison alleging he failed to follow state law regarding late-term abortions, and a trial on those counts has been delayed several times.

Tiller earlier apparently had been using Ann Kristin Neuhaus for the second opinion, but they reportedly “were not financially and legally independent as required by Kansas law.”

Now Operation Rescue has begun revealing the names of other physicians apparently used by Tiller in his abortion business.

It announced earlier today that Odenheimer, a neurologist who is board certified in psychiatry, “secretly sees Tiller’s late-term patients at his office at the Wichita Clinic.”

In a statement, OR chief Troy Newman said, “Odenheimer and others are working secretly with Tiller because they do not want the community to know that they are associated with his disreputable late-term abortion practice.”

Within only hours, the clinic issued its response.

“Wichita Clinic learned this morning that two Wichita Clinic physicians, including Dr. Burt Odenheimer, have in the past provided medical evaluations and second opinions for patients considering pregnancy termination,” the clinic said. “Both physicians have volunteered to discontinue providing these services effective immediately.”

“We have the utmost respect for the Wichita Clinic and the way they have handled this situation. As soon as they became aware that their clinic was being secretly used to enable late abortions, they took care of it immediately,” Newman said. “We wish to publicly thank them for their quick action, and commitment to life-affirming medicine.”

He said the situation underscores “the fact that the community does not support Tiller’s abortion business.”

The state law requires that two independent doctors determine there would be “substantial and irreversible” harm to the mother without the procedure before late-term abortions can proceed. The state attorney general, a pro-abortion politician, at the time ruled that mental health issues such as depression can be considered in the “substantial and irreversible” harm.